


midnight mourning

by dottie_wan_kenobi



Series: practice prompts [30]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family Issues, First War with Voldemort, POV Lily Evans Potter, james is one part tender(tm) and one part I Will Have My (or My Person's) Revenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 19:21:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29938209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dottie_wan_kenobi/pseuds/dottie_wan_kenobi
Summary: “So,” James says, after several long minutes of quiet. “That’s Petunia.”Lily sniffles, just once. She won’t waste her tears on her sister. As long as they stay where they are, welled up in her eyes, Petunia doesn’t win this round. Sighing deeply, Lily doesn’t look up from the frosty grass beneath her feet, moving herself on the swing with one foot, back and forth, back and forth. “Yeah,” she replies, her voice thready and near-silent in the cold dark air. “That’s her.”--written for the prompt, "The swings on a small playground."
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter
Series: practice prompts [30]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1626685
Kudos: 12





	midnight mourning

**Author's Note:**

> you don't have to read the other fic in the ace Lily series, as this basically has nothing to do with that one lol. it'll give context to like... one line. anyway, this is set in holiday break of their 7th year
> 
> I strongly disagree with JKR's disgusting transphobic beliefs. If you do, you should exit now. Bye.

“So,” James says, after several long minutes of quiet. “That’s Petunia.”

Lily sniffles, just once. She won’t waste her tears on her sister. As long as they stay where they are, welled up in her eyes, Petunia doesn’t win this round. Sighing deeply, Lily doesn’t look up from the frosty grass beneath her feet, moving herself on the swing with one foot, back and forth, back and forth. “Yeah,” she replies, her voice thready and near-silent in the cold dark air. “That’s her.”

It wasn’t just her, of course. It was a family meal so that her parents could meet James. Petunia just likes to make herself known, herself and her absolute hatred for anything she deems unnatural. Nothing could be worse than being magical, though she’d made it clear how little she appreciates that James is rich and not white and dating Lily, who is oh-so-defective. Her horrible bastard of a husband, Vernon, had summarily agreed. Neither of Lily’s parents had done a thing to stop them—but then, they’ve never understood either. Not any of it.

She remembers just two days before, being with the Potters in their big house that was full of nicknacks and moving photos and love. She remembers eating delicious food with James on one side of her and Sirius on the other, the whole table laughing at gossip. Having a talk in the den, that night, where Euphemia clutched James to her chest and said she understood what James had to do. Where Fleamont gave all three of them advice, spoken from experience. Sirius had stayed up with them, while she and James had gone upstairs. She’d teased him about his childhood bedroom being full of Quidditch trophies and posters. There’d been a lightness to her shoulders, even with the war looming over their heads.

Now they’re sitting in the park she and Sev used to play in as children—and doesn’t that just send her chest aching all over again—and it’s freezing and almost too dark to make out the details of his face. 

James exhales, his breath puffing up in front of them both. They can’t risk casting a heating charm, not with this many houses around. “I think we should go back.”

She turns her head, her gloved fingers coming up on instinct to wipe her eyes. Demanding, “What?”, she wonders if he’s trying to be strong for her sake. Why else would he want to go back there? So her whole family could step all over them again, the insults and the silence and looks all cutting just as deep. She might, if it were just her here—they don’t really have anywhere else to sleep tonight, and she hadn’t gotten to show him her old room—but no. She won’t put him through that any longer.

He reaches out, tangling his fingers with hers. It’s a bit awkward with the chains of the swings in the way, but when he takes over swaying them back and forth, back and forth, she lets it be.

“James, no. We can just… find a good spot to apparate from and we’ll go back to your parents’ place, okay?” With her free hand, she wipes her eyes again. Dammit, she hates how emotional she gets when it comes to her family. She told herself she doesn’t cry over people who don’t deserve it, and she can stick to it with everyone except for them. Annoyed, she sniffles, telling herself that time it was the cold and not the tears.

He moves in closer, his own free hand coming up to cup her cheek. “I know,” he says, soothing and low, his voice a comfort even here, even now. “We can do that—we _will_ do that—but first I think we should go back and prank the hell out of all of them with as much magic as we can get away with. How mad do you think she’d be if I turned her hair green?”

Lily takes a moment to think about that—the disgusted expression that would surely come over her sister’s face—and allows a small smile to unfurl on her face. “Let’s do it,” she says, already thinking of ways they could make their payback even worse. 

James lets out a little chuckle, leans forward to kiss her forehead, and then stands. Their hands get tangled in the chains but he pays it no mind. Once she’s standing with him, he takes her hand again, setting them off for her old home. “Have I told you how lovely you are when you look that devious yet?”

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on tumblr at dottie-wan-kenobi
> 
> If you enjoyed this, please consider leaving a comment, thank you! <3


End file.
